Thoughts
by OncePeetaHermione
Summary: One-shot's based on the show exploring the family relationship between Henry, Emma and Neal.
1. In the bathroom with Henry

**Hi Everyone :) Me Again... I am starting this new story because i LOVED Manhattan and i want to explore the family dynamic between henry/emma/nealfire ... (with some input from other family members (which is like half the characters now...)) i will probably be doing one-shot chapters from different points of views surrounding what happens on the show. so yeah. i hope it works out... i haven't really done _this_ before. **

**I am also sorry to anyone who may have been following my other story _i need your help_ at this point in time i cannot see myself finishing it (sorry if you were enjoying it...) I moved house recently and the internet got cut off super early so i couldn't really upload anything and now that i know what actually happens... i can't just go making up some other story... my brain doesn't seem to work that way ... so...yeah... sorry...**

**anyway - this chapter does contain spoilers from the episode Manhattan (a lot of spoilers) so if you haven't seen it yet you probably shouldn't read this... **

**DISCLAIMER: i own nothing - most of this is credit to the amazing ouat writers and actors.**

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"You found something dearie?" Mr. Gold said, curiosity lacing his tone.

As he heard his mother reply, Henry stopped what he was doing and turned around to watch the ensuing argument.

"Nothing!" Emma had stated quickly, "I - it just looks like a dream catcher"

"Yeah well if it's nothing… why are you still holding it?" Mr. Gold enquired, looking at Emma suspiciously.

Henry had to admit… Emma's behaviour was odd. The way she was clutching the dream catcher closer as Mr. Gold questioned her seemed… protective? The way her eyes darted around the room was equally strange. Her normal composed nature appeared to be crumbling slightly as she searched the apartment quickly.

"You're lying to me."

At Mr. Gold's statement, Henry felt the atmosphere in the room become very tense, and he knew that something was amiss. So much so that when Emma encouraged them to, "Just get back to looking," Mr. Gold didn't brush away the oddity of the situation, and demanded information.

"TELL ME!" he yelled, shocking Henry.

Henry didn't see the issue that Mr. Gold appeared to. Emma had already rehung the dream catcher back on the window, but the older man seemed hung up on something he saw in Emma's eyes. And Henry didn't like it. Mr. Gold could be scary sometimes, everyone in Storybrooke knew that. There was a reason why everyone paid their rent on time, because they had always known Mr. Gold had a dark side. And although he had always been nice to Henry himself, he didn't care to witness his mom getting on the wrong side of this evil man.

'At least with me in the room, it's not like Gold would do anything drastic.' Henry justified, moments before Emma turned to him.

"Henry go wait in the bathroom," she directed firmly.

He quickly retorted, "But I can help!" not liking where this confrontation could possibly lead.

"HENRY. GO" Emma shouted, her voice raised powerfully.

Taking a final glace at his mother, Henry looked down and slowly walked away. As he walked past Mr. Gold, he shot the man a small look. Hoping that what was shown on his face was representative of his thoughts. 'Don't hurt my mom.'

It was quiet until he entered the bathroom and closed the door gently. But as Henry stood in the middle of the pokey bathroom, he could hear their voices regaining conversation. Straining his ears to listen in on the conversation, Henry could barely pick up anything that was being said.

Carefully, so to avoid the hinges squeaking, He opened the bathroom door, letting the sounds of the argument reach his ears. However, he soon realized his actions were pointless, as the curious chatter between the two adults, rapidly became much louder.

It was his mom's voice he first heard distinctly, as she stated incredulously "I'm not holding back!" Henry immediately became more aware of the situation when he heard Mr. Gold's angry reply.

Sinking back into the bathroom, a heavy feeling begun to settle in his stomach. This all seemed much lighter and interesting when he was standing next to his mom. However, trapped in the bathroom all he knew was that Mr. Gold was angry, and that Emma's stubborn behaviour often got her into trouble. And not knowing what was going on, was worse than seeing it all unfold.

Leaning against the wall by the door, Henry listened to the fight unfold. It was now too loud to ignore.

"DID HE TELL YOU SOMETHING?" was Mr. Gold's usually dulcet tone.

"NOTHING HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING" Emma acquiesced, not quite realizing what she was saying. This statement confused Henry, almost more than everything else. _Had_ Emma actually talked to this guy, although she said he ran away? She wouldn't lie about this would she?

Mr. Gold was apparently thinking along the same lines as Henry, as his next statement rattled the argument. "BUT YOU TALKED TO HIM!"

"I – DON'T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH" Emma yelled once again.

"TELL ME!" Rumpelstiltskin demanded.

Taking one final glace at the room outside, Henry lent against the bathroom door, pushing it shut. What was happening? What were they even arguing about? The fact that Emma might be lying? Even so… why did it need to be so intense?

He could still hear their voices from the main room, but it was muffled. As he stood with his back to the door, he was in too minds. He wanted to know everything, he wanted to stop the argument, but he also wanted to just stay locked up in the bathroom.

Eventually, the words became clearer as they also became louder.

He could hear Emma, and it frightened him, more than he care to admit "Don't. push. me!"

As he breathed heavily, his back still to the door, Henry's thoughts ran rampant. What was going on? Was Mr. Gold pushing her around? He needed to do something. But he's only a child… ultimately his decision was made for him when he heard Mr. Gold's terrifying reply.

"WE HAD A DEAL – A DEAL!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted loudly. Henry held his breath, and heard a loud _CRASH_ as Mr. Gold continued to yell at his mom. "NO ONE, NO ONE BREAKS DEALS WITH ME"

Henry was breathing heavily, his shaking hand on the doorknob, waiting for the courage to save his mom to arrive. He had the worst case scenario running through his mind. Gold had possibly pushed her into something that made the loud clattering noise. He might be whacking her with his cane. He had no idea… but something needed to happen something needed to stop this argument. _Now. _

"HEY!" a deep male voice shouted. Making Henry freeze in place. Whether or not someone was here to arrest them for breaking and entering, they couldn't have come at a better time. Immediately Henry felt 10 times safer.

Silence fell in the apartment, and he calmed down. After a few moments, he could hear more soft talking coming from the adults. And although Henry couldn't make out words, he could differentiate between the sounds of the voices well enough to know the interrupting man was still here.

It was quite sudden and unexpected when he heard that man shout "GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT"

As the apartment relapsed into silence, Henry panicked once more. What was going on! Was this new man Baelfire? Was he going to be left behind, stuck in this dingy bathroom, whilst Emma and Mr. Gold were kicked out?

As the sound of Mr. Gold's voice picked up, Henry knew he had to act. There was no way he was going to stay in this bathroom any longer whilst all hell continued to break loose. He needed his mom. He was scared and completely confused.

Henry wrenched open the door and crept out of the bathroom just in time to hear Mr. Gold accuse Emma and the stranger. "You two know each other. How?"

This stopped Henry in his place. Did Emma know the man who lived here… Baelfire…? That would be ridiculous. However, Emma's rapid response placated him.

"You sent me chasing after him!" she pointed out to a disbelieving Gold.

"NO NO NO. STOP IT! YOU'RE LYING" Mr. Gold shouted again, piquing Henry's interest. Would his mom really have lied? "HOW DO YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?"

That was the final straw. As silence fell in the next room, Henry revealed himself. He needed answers.

"Mom! What's going on…?" he said, walking up to Emma. He needed answers.

As he approached her, she reached out for him. As he looked into her eyes, looking for any sign of harm, all he saw was how nervous she seemed. As soon as he was in reach, she started fretting with his collar.

"Who's this?" Henry heard the stranger ask

"My son" Emma replied with a quick glance his way

"What?" was the only verbal reply to Emma's offhand statement, but as his face scrunched up in disbelief Henry turned towards him in curiosity.

"Is that Baelfire?" he asked the room to no reply.

"I need you to stay in the other room for a little while longer okay? Come on" Emma said, facing him eye to eye. She seemed anxious to remove him from the situation, and Henry complied, allowing his mom to lead him away.

However, despite Emma's eagerness for him to stay out of the confrontation, Baelfire was the exact opposite. He seemed interested in Henry. "Wait how- how - how old are you?" Baelfire asked him as Emma begun pulling him from the room.

"Don't answer him" she murmured quickly.

This didn't seem good enough for Mr. Gold's son, and he resorted to shouting. "HOW OLD ARE YOU KID!" Henry was beyond confused at this point. And things were becoming personal. He wasn't going back to that bathroom, so he squirmed out of Emma's desperate arms.

"ELEVEN! NOW WHY IS EVERYONE YELLING?" Henry shouted back. Hoping to finally get some answers from the 3 adults staring at him.

However, unluckily for him, Baelfire's gaze moved from him, and over towards Emma. "He's eleven?" he asked a silent Emma.

"Mom?" Henry hedged, trying to get an answer from her.

In the Silence that ensued Emma looked torn. Her eyes, flashing between Him and Baelfire was odd, and Henry once again felt that heavy, unsettling feeling settle in his stomach. As Emma remained silent, Henry turned around to face Baelfire. Maybe this man had answers for him. What had happened eleven years ago between them that was tearing Emma apart?

Henry didn't have to wait long for a shocking reply to his inner question. "Is this my son?" Baelfire croaked, looking Emma in the eye.

Whatever he was expecting, it surely wasn't that. Looking at the pain and heartbreak on the man's face Henry knew he had to try and help. After all, he already had a father. He was dead. This couldn't be him.

"No… my dad was a fireman. He died" Henry explained to Baelfire. However, as he spoke Emma finally approached him, and he turned to look at her. Her face was wary, scared and full of apprehension as he continued to speak." That's what you t-told me… you said" Henry finished, trailing off his justification as he realized what the look on Emma's face could possibly mean.

She looked guilty. And remorseful. A look he had seen Regina wear once.

Henry was starting to feel a little sick. What was happening…?

"Is this… my son?" Baelfire repeated, desperate for an answer. He was asking for everyone. The whole room knew the truth, but the validation from Emma was required for the full extent of the truth to be felt.

Emma walked right up towards Henry. And he stood, watching her with his eyes widened. As he waited for the truth, he felt his mom push away his bangs and cradle his face with her hands. It felt so nice, and so wrong at the same time. That all this affection would come crashing down on him as soon as his image of her as the perfect mom spiraled downwards.

Looking deep into his eyes, Emma uttered the most heartbreaking word, confirming the question in his eyes. "Yes"

Immediately, nothing else mattered. Not that his father, who he had thought was dead, was standing behind him, or that his grandfather was watching the scene unfold with pity in his eyes. His mom, Emma had lied to him. And whilst she may look heartbroken as he steps away from her, he feels completely blindsided. Stabbed in the back.

Finally, the tension in the room is too much. Shaking his head slightly, he realizes he needs space, to get away from everyone. He glances over at the open window, before jumping out into the fresh, biting air.

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**thanks for reading :)**


	2. On a Ship with Emma

When Emma was a kid, she had seen the ad's in travel stores and on TV for boat cruises. From little outings to whale watching, to month long river cruises; she had always had a curiosity to travel on a boat. After saving up some money in her twenties to travel, she had made sure she had experienced a boat cruise. As she had traveled along the Mekong and then later on, along the Rhône, she enjoyed the clarity and peace of mind that the feeling of sailing gave her. However, today was different.

A peel of laughter drew her attention to the bow of the boat where Neal was teaching their son how to steer a ship. Henry's smile was infectious, but today Emma felt removed from its joy. This was what he had been waiting for, for longer than anybody knew. To go on an _adventure_. To be with _family_. But his apparent disdain of her, was too upsetting to ignore.

Here, cooped together on a pirate ship with his parents and grandfather Henry was in his element. Despite the fact that he refused to speak to his mother, and his grandpa was slowly dying, he was enjoying the feeling of the fresh sea air, the comfort of his dad and the excitement of his first quest.

Emma however, was overwhelmed with emotions. Stress, shock, contempt, fear, hope and ultimately… love. No matter what Henry did to her, she would never stop loving him. That was a parents curse, once your child captured your heart, you could not let go. However this attachment to someone who appeared to hate her was hurting her more than she expected. Throughout her life Emma had developed a 'hit and run' personality. As soon as she sensed something negative amongst a relationship, she would get up and leave. Move on with her life, and start over in a new place with new people. Since she found her family though, she had learnt that was the one thing you couldn't do. Abandon. This knowledge whilst comforting, had the tendency to make her feel slightly claustrophobic.

Therefore as she watched the New-York coastline rapidly disappear, she couldn't help but reflect on what a mess her life had been since the curse broke.

First she had been stuck in the enchanted forest with her bestfriend-come-mother. It had taken what seemed like months to return home to Storybrooke, a place that now seemed different from the home she had come to love. With everyone realizing their true identities, the atmosphere of the town had changed by the time she had returned home. And being one of the only people to not have a split identity she had felt as though she was once again invading a new town. Needing to suss out the atmosphere, how things worked, and the people who lived there.

However, it hadn't just been her situation that had turned her life crazy in the past couple of months. Upon finding out she possessed magic, everything she ever thought she knew was well and truly turned on its head. At the age of 4 she had stopped believing in the magic of Father Christmas. At 5 she was proved fairies didn't exist, when she woke up one special morning to find her first fallen tooth had not been magically swapped for a 1 dollar bill. She was merely a small child when all hope for the worlds mystical opportunities were lost. And being proved wrong, when a women's hand got stuck inside her chest had been a massive shock. Ever since that moment the rollercoaster that was her life had been travelling upside down, at triple speed.

She and her new family had jumped from obstacle to obstacle. Archie dying. The emotional and rehabilitating Regina. A Funeral. A car crash. An outsider. Cora and Hook arriving in Storybrooke. A Death threat (by a newly discovered family member.) A flight to New down Mr Gold's son. Who turned out to be her ex-boyfriend. The one who sent her to jail. Pregnant.

Ever since that moment, when all hell broke loose in Neal's apartment, Emma had been running on adrenaline. She had barely slept all week, and it had been months since she had actually slept through the night. In a bed. With nothing to worry about. Ever since she had broken the curse, there had always been something to do. Someone to chase. Someone to mourn.

However, the look on Henry's face when he realized she had lied to him was the extraordinarily bad ending to a really bad week. She didn't even know if he would forgive her. And with everything else that was going on, the one thing she knew was that she couldn't live with was her son hating her.

All Emma wanted to do was to stop for a moment, and take a long, hot, uninterrupted bath, with a bottle of whiskey, or red wine… she wasn't picky. She needed to unwind, to take stock of her life. Figure out a game plan, and cry. But how could she do all that? Where could she fit in an evening or even an hour for herself? She was a mom now. And on top of that, the sheriff, the savior. Someone who had more responsibilities than fingers. All she could do to survive was focus on what was important in all the mess. Her family. Henry, Mary Margaret, David… Neal. She needs them. She needs them alive and well. And keeping that task in mind took up every moment in her day.

"Life's full of surprises isn't it?" Neal had said only an hour or so ago before her perception on reality was once again trampled by a herd of elephants. And what had she done. Smiled, and agreed. As if surprises were a good thing. But Emma knew that she was getting to the point where if people keep sprouting surprises on her she would break.

After 24 hours of having Neal back in her life, she was finally getting used to the idea. She still hated him – there was no doubt about that, but there was another emotion buried deeply amidst all the rage and abandonment issues he had created. Something akin to hope. Hope for the future where they could at least resemble something of normal people in regards to each other.

But then, another bomb was dropped.

* * *

They were in a hurry when they arrived at the shiny new car, Gold was dying and they had left him with an eleven year old to care for him. Nevertheless, Neal seemed fairly adamant to tell her something. And as he was acting as though what he had to tell her was infinitely more important than his dying father, she tried to listen impassively. However, they were interrupted.

"Neal!" a women exclaimed, as she ran down the sidewalk towards them. She was pretty. Her skin glowed, her hair was nicely styled, and her outfit looked carefully arranged. As she approached Neal, "thank god I caught you," Emma couldn't help but feel a little inferior with her messy hair and 'I packed my bags for this trip on zero sleep' ensemble.

Neal was quick to reply "What are you doing here!?" as the woman leaned in for a soft, quick hug.

"Oh I don't know, I got a little worried after talking to you, you can't just say you're… leaving town for a while." As Emma watched the exchange she noticed how uncomfortable Neal seemed, and how his friend didn't look impressed that he was leaving town with some random woman.

"Hey listen alright, every things fine ok? I promise" Neal jumped in to calm the woman. Emma was instantly uncomfortable with the way the two interacted. The sweet hug, the worry. the support. the reassurance. It was all too much for her. She needed to hurry things up.

"Alright sweetie, then just tell me what's going on" the woman suggested.' They didn't have time for this' Emma thought. As Neal paused, thinking of something to say, Emma butted in.

"Neal!" she prodded, hoping that reminding him she was standing right next to them would end the display of affection, and encourage his thoughts back to the problem at hand.

The woman glanced between her and Neal, quickly assessing the mood, before sharing a sweet smile and extending her hand.

"I'm Tamara," she announced. Emma assessed her rapidly before replying. She had a light but firm handshake, as well as a friendly and confident smile.

She smiled in return and politely introduced herself. "Emma" she announced warmly to Tamara, hoping that the woman would leave them alone, whoever she was.

As the two women smiled at each other amicably, Neal rejoined the conversation. Delivering the news that once again floored Emma. "My fiancé" he added, with a wary look on his face. Tamara smiled broadly at his words, genuinely happy to hear him spread the news.

As an explosion occurred inside of Emma she tried desperately to school her features into a calm mask. In one moment she felt so many things. Wonder that someone would marry the abandoning bastard, who left her in jail. Worry that this woman would interfere with Henry and Neal's relationship. Shock that as screwed up as he is, he still has managed to find someone to love and marry, where as she has no one. Pain that he would be more than happy to marry Tamara and settle down, whilst he couldn't do that with her. Fear that if they actually did get married, that the possibility of 'them' would never ever be able to happen. Not even if she wanted it to.

As the couple said their goodbyes, Emma excused herself to sit in the car. She didn't need to see it. Them being all sweet. It was just too painful watching someone get the life she had wanted so badly.

The drive back to Neal's apartment was awkward, Emma could tell he wanted to say something about Tamara… but she really couldn't handle it if he did. She needed time, to take stock of her life. Organize her brain, and figure out her feelings.

Neal opened his mouth to say something as they turned onto the block where his apartment was located. But Emma beat him to it, luckily avoiding the dreaded topic of Tamara.

"So, should I go inside and get Henry and Gold with you or wait with the car?" she asked, hoping to keep the topic on the here and now.

Neal paused momentarily, processing her question. "Uhh… yeah whatever."

"Alright… I'll stay down here and call my parents… let them know we're coming" She suggested, taking her time to dig in her pockets for her phone in order to relieve tension in the car.

"So you found them huh?" Neal asked as he scanned for a car park.

"Yep…" Emma murmured as he pulled into an empty space, and hopped out.

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**Hey! So here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed it :) - reviews would be lovely :p**


	3. Into the forest with Neal

"_You two. Out of the way,"_ Neal heard Cora say in her deathly calm tone, before he and Emma were engulfed in a haze of purple.

As the magical smoke cleared he blinked rapidly, taking in their change of surroundings. Instead of protecting his father and Emma from Cora in his father's pawn shop, he and Emma had been transported to the wilderness.

As Neal looked around, lowering his sword which had been raised at the immediate threat of the evil witch, he made eye contact with Emma, who was muttering cynically under her breath.

"What just happened…?" He asked Emma rapidly. "Where are we?"

As Emma looked up at him, she raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Are you seriously asking that? Cora has magic; we were in her way, so she transported us here!"

"Yeah I know, I'm not an idiot, but where is here?" Neal questioned.

"I may be sheriff, but I don't know the town geography off the top of my head, and that's considering we are even in the town limits."

"…you're sheriff?" Neal snorted. He found it hard to imagine the car thief he used to know as someone paid to control crime.

"Yeah" she stated, averting her gaze, as a small blush rose to her cheeks. As Neal watched, she dug in her pockets for something.

When she pulled out her phone and groaned, "no signal… and almost dead," the reality of their situation hit him. His father was in Storybrooke, dying, with no one but Cora who only planned to kill him faster.

"Emma" he chocked out, drawing her attention away from her phone which she was holding above her head to attain a better signal.

"mhmm" she replied once again raising an eyebrow at his strange behaviour.

"My father! He – he was dying! And Cora! We need to get back NOW! He could already be dead! Cora could be the dark one! He could already be dead!" Neal prattled, as Emma's face turned from empathetic to serious.

"Neal you need to calm down!" she ordered him. "We will find our way back to town, but you have to acknowledge right now, that by the time we get back… it will all be over. Whether or not that means your dad is dead, or Cora is or that she is the dark one… "

Neal shuddered as he took a deep breath, causing a worried looking Emma to approach him and place a hand on his shoulder. "I can't tell you it's going to be all right, but let's just focus on getting back to town, and making sure Henry and our parents are safe. OK?" she soothed

Shakily releasing his breath, and nodding, Neal agreed with her before pulling out his phone. Just as Emma had pointed out earlier, they were out of cell range. He groaned slightly, considering how handy it would be if google maps could just tell him their location.

"No service either?" he heard Emma ask

Shaking his head, he replied "nope."

"Great" was her sarcastic reply, before she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and looked up and down the path they had been neatly placed on by Cora.

"Which way do you think leads to town sheriff?" he asked, as he scratched his arm anxiously. They didn't have the time to be wondering out here for hours or days; they needed to get back to Storybrooke.

She turned and glared at him slightly, before scrunching her face in thought. "Can you hear a river, or is that just me?" she asked…

Neal paused, taking a moment to listen and observe their surroundings properly. He could see trees, and a path, with a "do not litter" sign which suggested they couldn't be too far away from civilization. He could hear birds signing in the trees and if he listened carefully he could just make out the sound of rushing water off in the distance.

He pointed to his left, "yes, over there somewhere."

Emma nodded, her face still scrunched up in thoughtfulness. "If that's the case, then… let's just follow the path this way." She said pointing down the hill.

She didn't look very certain that she had chosen the correct direction, and he couldn't help but ask, "are you sure?"

As she stuffed her hands in her pockets, and begun walking down the hill, Neal heard her murmur, "no."

* * *

They had been walking briskly in silence for 15 minutes, checking their phones occasionally for a signal, and the tension between the two of them was palpable. It was not helping Neal's anxiety over what would be waiting for them when they finally returned to Storybrooke.

Clearing his throat, and gaining a suspicious side glare from Emma, Neal decided to finally try and ask something that had been bothering him all day.

"Emma… can I ask you something?" he started tentatively.

"Depends what you want to know," she replied in her guarded, aloof tone.

He cleared his throat again, worried about her reaction but also intensely curious. "Well, it's just that, I was talking to Henry when we were on the ship earlier, and he said something that I hope you can clear up for me."

Although Emma barely batted her eyes and made no motion to stop walking upon hearing his question, he saw her lose all the color in her cheeks that she had gained from their little hike through the woods.

"Ah…" she chocked out eventually. "And what would it be you needed clearing up?" her eyes not averting the graveled path they were following through the forest.

Neal noticed her strange reaction, and wondered what she could possibly be hiding from him. "Well… we were talking and I don't think he realized what he said, because he seemed pretty enthusiastic about his story, but I just need to know what he meant by it…?"

Emma finally glanced his way, eyebrows raised in question, waiting for him to spit out what he was actually asking.

Neal looked down at the path they were following as he continued his question. "Well… he was chatting a mile a minute, and all of a sudden he said 'my other mom'… and I was just wondering…"

"I'm not gay Neal… if that's what you were implying" Emma quickly replied.

"Oh no. no. of course not…. I just…" He couldn't finish his sentence, merely looking at Emma, asking for the rest of her story. But he couldn't deny the small weight inside of him that had oddly grown heavy at the thought of Emma and him never having another chance at happiness, suddenly lift.

Sighing, and actually stopping her brisk walk Emma turned to face Neal.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I was 17. A month shy of my 18th birthday. And in jail. _I'm sure I don't need to remind you that_. And the only things I owned were the clothes on my back, and the Bug. How did you think I would be able to raise a baby in those conditions? Do you seriously think I would have dragged my innocent, precious baby through the hell that was my life? Do you really think I would be _that_ selfish!" Emma seethed, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she glared at him.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Neal asked, confused, his stomach growing heavy.

"I gave him up for adoption!" Emma yelled. "I knew I wasn't his best option for a good life. I wanted him to have a loving, happy family who could make sure he had everything he would ever need. There was no way I was putting him in Foster care, because that's what would have happened. He would have been a newborn just like me, thrust into the system, left there for god knows how long whilst I cleaned up the mess that was my life. It took me years to get my shit together Neal! Years! And there was no way I was going to drag a child through that. It was hard enough caring for myself, let alone a baby."

Neal looked away from Emma. Guilt surging through his body. Ever since he had found out about Henry, he had felt guilty for leaving Emma, for leaving their family. But hearing of her struggles first hand was multiplying his pain. He should have been there. He should never have sold Emma out to the police. What did August know about fate and destiny anyway? He shouldn't have cowered away from the person he loved more than anything in the world. He could have had a family. Having Henry and Emma in his life would have been enough. Enough to make him face his father when the time came. But that was all in the past now.

As Neal looked back up at Emma, he noticed the tears wetting her face as she continued, now in a softer tone.

"I would give anything to have been there for Henry as he grew up, but if I could go back there now, and change my decision. I wouldn't. Because despite the sociopath his adoptive mother turned out to be, she cared for Henry when I couldn't, she gave him everything he needed. Sure recently she has made him feel unloved and crazy but for 10 years, she did what I… what WE couldn't do for Henry. Be his parent." Taking a deep breath and staring Neal's shocked expression right in the eye she finished her rant by saying, "now, does that answer your question?"

Gaping slightly, and nodding, Neal realized he now had so many more questions than he had before. 'Who had adopted Henry?' 'Why did Emma think she was a sociopath?' 'How did Emma find him?'

Clearing her throat, and wiping her cheeks, Emma nodded. "Good" she said before turning and walking along the path, which would hopefully lead them to Storybrooke.

* * *

It had probably been 2 hours that they had been stuck in the forest by now, and he and Emma had not spoken at all since their earlier discussion about Henry. Things were definitely awkward, and Neal was desperate to know if his father was alive, let alone know if Cora had burnt the whole town down.

As they rounded a corner, Neal felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He stopped walking and hastily grabbed the cell.

**6 missed calls**

Well someone had been trying to find them that was for sure.

Emma who had seen him pull out his phone checked her own. "Oh god. 21 missed calls… I'm going to call David" she murmured as she turned away from him and pressed the phone to her ear. Not 5 seconds later however, did she pull it away from her head to stare at the screen.

Neal heard her swear quietly before murmuring "stupid bloody phone, have to charge it every two hours to keep it from dying!"

As Emma threw her phone to the dirt and placed her head in her hands, seemingly overwhelmed by the day's events, Neal searched his contact list. Found who he was looking for, and dialed.

1 ring… 2 rings… 3 rings…

"DAD!" a hopeful voice was heard through the receiver.

Neal smiled, he had only been a father for 1 day, but yet his kid already seemed to love him unconditionally. "Hey buddy!" he replied, a smile creeping onto his face for the first time in hours.

Henry's voice suddenly became anxious as he fired question after question through the phone. "Are you ok? Is mom there? Is she okay? Where are you? Everyone's worried!"

As Neal attempted to placate Henry, he watched Emma turn around and face him, before reaching for his phone, and taking it from his hand mid-sentence.

"Henry?" she asked warily.

"Is David there?... good…. Can you put him on please?... thanks… yes I'm fine… see you soon" Emma spoke determinedly into his phone.

Her demeanor didn't change as she begun talking to her father. "David?... aha… yep… we're fine… in the woods… I think we're near the toll bridge…great see you soon," Emma prattled.

Before she had a chance to hang up, Neal signaled her to pass over the phone. After a confused glare and a sigh she acquiesced, and said goodbye to her father.

"David?" Neal asked down the phone the second Emma passed it over.

"Yes?" the man replied tiredly.

"What's going on in town? Is my father dead?" he asked desperately.

"Rumpelstiltskin is just fine." David assured. "Mary Margaret on the other hand… not so much. I'll fill you and Emma in when I pick you up alright?" he whispered before backtracking his last sentence. "Wait… Neal… don't tell Emma what I just said about Mary Margaret. She will freak out."

Neal smiled slightly at the very thought of Emma finally having a father to look out for her, and agreed. "Ok… so we'll see you soon?"

"Yep according to Emma you're not too far away, I'll come pick you two up." David said, ending the conversation.

Placing the phone back in his pocket, Neal finally breathed a sigh of relief. Emma raised her eyebrows, staring at him in question.

"My father's fine. He's alive." Neal smiled broadly, "we can have our second chance."

* * *

**Hey! ... so it's been awhile since i wrote something... i've been really sick for the past few weeks... :( so sorry! - but how great is it having swanfire on our screens every week! even if they aren't actually a couple (yet)... hopefully this hiatus will go quickly :)**

**Anyway... reviews are always nice, it's great to hear what you think :)**


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